klammvsKlausWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: klamm is a adjective, Klaus is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“klamm” is an adjective and “Klaus” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#40,031
“klamm” frequency rank
#1,775
“Klaus” frequency rank
41806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klamm Klaus
Definition feucht, oft in Verbindung mit dem Empfinden von Kälte meist an eine Synagoge angeschlossenes Lehrhaus oder angeschlossene Schule, in der Juden ihre Tora- und Talmudstudien betreiben können

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klamm and Klaus apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
klamm
5 ch
Klaus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klamm is [klam] while Klaus is [klaʊ̯s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klamm is recorded at frequency rank #40,031, classified as anadj, pronounced [klam]. Klaus is at rank #1,775, tagged as anoun, pronounced [klaʊ̯s].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 41806, this pair ranks #1,468,496 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of klamm vs Klaus

Shared letters: akl. Private to "klamm": m. Private to "Klaus": su.

"klamm" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Klaus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klammkalmm · kklamm · klam · kllamm · klmam · lkamm
  • Klauskalus · kklaus · klasu · klauss · kllaus · kluas · lkaus

Frequency comparison

klamm#40,031
Klaus#1,775

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klamm" and "Klaus" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "klamm" is an adjective and "Klaus" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "klamm" or "Klaus"?
"Klaus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,775 in our German list, against #40,031 for "klamm". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering klamm vs Klaus

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “klamm”; for a noun, it's “Klaus”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “klamm” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list